Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-05-05
JOHN b. CALHOUN.
Secretary lamar ON kHiua and Ofvn
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Secretary AfMm&f ErA 6NAuA 8M0 UAsAl l
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New York TINS, Apru 27tn.
The Grafton by MIR. Lamar on the nm
yelling Of the monument to Calhoun yes
terdAy was worthy Of the orator. Mr..
Calhoun Is known to most Americans
only as the great champion of state SOW
ereignty and q teachsr of the doctrines
that led to the war Of secession. He was
much more and else than that, but his
connection with the canse of the south
and his ardent conviction of the right
eousness and excellence of slavery, s,1s-
tanned for years In the Senate with I'm
tiinching courage and remarkable ability,
made it unavoidable that bis eulogist
should dwell upon this feature of his
career and upon the ideas by which that
career was guided. Mr.. Lamar did
this with entire candor and, though
with avowed sympathy with CAL
houn, ia spirit Of unqualified loyalty
to the union. There could be no more
striking aud conclusive proof of the COM
pleteness of the establishment of the
union than the manner In which Mr..
Lamar, himself former secessionist of
the extreme type, disposed of the causes
of secession and of its absolute, final
and perpetual defeat. 1t is enough to
point out that MIR. Lamar finds that Sc
csssion was doomed by the force of
national evolution, by the fact that the
permanent needs and tendencies of the
1.one people" that declared its indie
pendence of Great Britain in l776 were
indefinitely stronger than the needs and
tendencies of the south that sought salts
faction in separation.
The speech of Mr.. Lamar was, there
fore, while review of most conspicuous
figure in the past, speech for the pres
emit and the future. II put aside, in q
eulogy of the greatest of state sovereignty
leaders and before an audience of his
devoted admirers, the chief aim of that
leaders, career, the chief of his ayowed
principles, as something buried and the
tomb sealed, and turned with hopeful
spirit toward the lesson of the leaders,
life for his countrymen to-day. This MIR.
Lamar found in Calhoun's fidelity to con-
science, in his high standard of virtue in
public life, In his unselhsh patriotism,
and particularly in his conception of the
public service as public trust. He
pointed out Mr.. Calhoun's vigorous ex-
poBure and pointed denunciation Of the
application of the spoils system TO the
Federal service, and with peculiar en-
! phasis his scathing criticism of the plea
that the spoils system could be justly ap-
piled by one administration in retaliation
i for its application by preceding admin
] istration.
| On this point the words of Calhoun
might we'll be quoted as bearing directly
/ upon the situation to-day. He was reply
: lug to Benton, who had formerly sharply
: condemned the spoils principle, and
pledged the administration to resist it
1.-THE avowal of such principle may bs
: justified at this time by interested parti
8 sans, but o more impartial tribunal will
I regard it in far different light, and pro
nounce that sentence which violated faitt
+ and broken pledges deserve.
consider it as an evidence of thai
1 deep degeneraoy which preeedei
8 the downfall of q republic wheI
( those elevated to power forget the prom
: Uses on which they were elevated, tn,
!, certain effect of which is to make an i'm
8 preston on the public mind that all i
d juggling and trickery in politics, and h
l. create an indifference to political strug
d giles highly favorable to the growth o
Q despotie power" After quoting thes
words MIR. Lamar adds: 81 am proud t,
Q gay, fellow. citizens, that it has been m,
II good fortune to be associated with on
% against whose administratio the only crit
It cism that has been pronounced is his sacre
}. regard for similar promises and the un
o couquerable intrepidity with which h
l. stands by them"
70 It is worth while to point out thai Will
b a member of Mr.. Oleveland's ADMINISTERS
q tion thus recognizes the pledges of tha
1t administration against the spoils prime
g pie and vindicates its adherence to tbs
20 pledge, it is not necessary or decent fo
10 subordinates in the Federal service to d,
t vote their time to officious manipulate
d of the patronage, they may be able
IS control for the purpose OF fixing delegt
n tions or building up machines.